This Saturday on Newsfile, host Samson Lardy Anyenini and his panelists are discussing the latest "galamsey fury" sparked by the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, where they accused the government of reneging on promises following repeated calls to revoke Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which they say still permits mining in forest reserves.

The Coalition recalled multiple public assurances by the President and senior government officials, including a clear directive as recently as May 2025, promising the L.I.’s complete revocation.

The Coalition described this as a “clear indication that the government is deliberately playing games with citizens on this matter”, insisting that nothing short of a full revocation will be accepted.

Also this week, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) made headlines after announcing that it will hold its presidential primaries on January 31, 2026.

The party stated that the early date is aimed at giving its eventual flagbearer ample time to prepare, engage the grassroots, and unify the base ahead of the 2028 general election. The decision was taken at a National Executive Committee and National Council meeting in Accra, where key timelines for internal elections were approved.

Per the schedule, nominations for the flagbearer race will open from December 2 to December 6, 2025, with vetting of aspirants set for December 9 to 10, 2025. The NPP has also announced that parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies where the party has no sitting MP will begin in August 2025, while constituencies with sitting MPs will vote in April 2026.

Several party figures have already made their intentions clear. Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, MP for Bosomtwe and former Minister for Education, officially declared his intention to contest the flagbearer position in a Facebook post on 18 June.

Kennedy Agyapong, former MP for Assin Central, has also declared his intent to contest the flagbearer race. Former Vice-President and 2024 flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is widely expected to run again, with strong backing from some MPs within the party.

Former Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong has also declared his intention to run for the flagbearership race.

Despite Fitch’s upgrade of Ghana’s credit rating from ‘Restricted Default’ to B with a Stable Outlook alongside similar lifts from Moody’s and S&P, Ghana's economic recovery remains on a knife-edge.

These upgrades reflect meaningful improvements: tighter fiscal discipline, lower inflation, stronger reserves, and increasing investor confidence under the IMF programme.

But now a new risk looms. The escalating Israel-Iran war has sent oil prices soaring. Brent crude surged over 10 %, under threat of rising higher if the Strait of Hormuz is affected. That jump in energy prices could quickly unwind Ghana’s macro gains, pushing up inflation, raising import costs, straining fiscal buffers, and undermining investor sentiment.

The show will explore the renewed national outrage over illegal mining, following fresh demands by the Coalition Against Galamsey for urgent government action. It will also delve into the NPP’s early flagbearer race, analysing declared ambitions and what the timeline signals for the party’s future.

The show will also be exploring whether or not Ghana faces a grim reality ahead in relation to the Israel-Iran war.

Tune in to Newsfile this Saturday as the panel breaks down these critical national issues with insight and clarity.

Newsfile airs live on the JoyNews channel on digital satellite channels 421 on DSTV and 144 on GoTV, and streams on JoyNews’ Facebook or YouTube channels on Saturdays from 9 am to noon.

Viewers can also follow the discussion by tuning in to Joy 99.7 FM or Luv 99.5 FM on the radio or stream the discussion live on either Google or Apple Podcasts.

Newsfile is your most authoritative news analysis programme.

Below is the live stream